Hard to Hold
by LadyEval
Summary: *Under Revision* TrunksxOC. When Earth is targeted by a pair of sibling mercenaries rising in the ranks, Trunks takes an interest in the sister and attempts to save her from her chaotic life. One problem. This little girl doesn't want to be saved.
1. Chapter 1::An Interesting Invasion

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**I suck at summaries!**

**One more thing! Here's some info**

**Kestrel-main character- age16 (picture link on my profile, but basically described in chapter)**

** brother- age 22 (link also on my profile)**

**Their personalities will be very obvious, don't worry.**

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I picked up another rock and absently pitched it into the lake. "So, now what?" I asked, looking over her shoulder at my older companion.

My brother thought for a moment. "How 'bout we do one more job, then we can take off for a while."

"Why can't we lay off now? I'm getting' tired of this. It's boring."

"Come on, we'll take one more planet, something that'll fetch a high price on the market. We'll just have to pick a good one. What about Kataris?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Kataris is too hot. No one wants to buy a lump of sand desert planet, dumbass."

"Fine, what about Sienna?"

"No."

He sighed. "What?"

"It's just a bunch of country hick farmers there. No actual cities. Who cares about that?"

Kain glared at me. "You know, you're making this harder than it needs to be."

"You know what? Screw you."

"...what about Earth? Big cities, green forest, oceans. What's not to love?"

"I don't want to go."

"You don't even have an argument! Just-you know what? Just get in the ship."

"I'm not going."

He started to leave. "We're not going to Earth. We'll just drift awhile 'til we decide on something. Come on, Kess."

"Whatever."

I woke up groggily hours later in my room on the ship_. Wait. Why aren't we moving?_ I thought suddenly. I jumped up and sprinted to the window. Yep. Outside I could see...green forests. Blue skies. _Nice place. Wonder where we are._ I thought sarcastically. He had landed while I was asleep. Probably planning to do the whole job and come back before I even noticed. _I swear I am going to kill him_. I furiously strode across the room and hit the release button for the door. Nothing happened. I hit it again. Nothing. _Damnit!_ I realized that the door was locked from the outside.  
I slammed my palm against the metal.

"Kain, I am going to murder you when I get out of here!" I screamed. I knew he was already gone, but I needed to vent. Or better yet...I looked to the window again. _I bet I could probably break that if I tried_

So, after a moment of consideration, I dragged a desk over to the window and climbed on top of it. Reaching my hands up to the ceiling, I steadied myself, and kicked the window as hard as I could. It took a few tries, but the thick plastic finally cracked and broke off in pieces. My foot was tingling a little from the impact, but now I was free to find and strangle that bastard of a brother I had.

After a while, I finally found him. It was pretty easy. All I had to do was follow the sound of explosions and flying rubble. Kain must have had to fight people for this one. Good. He deserved it.

Once I found him, he was in the middle of a fight with 3 guys. An older one with spiky black hair all over the place, one that could be his son, with black hair spiked straight up and wearing the same orange clothes. The last one seemed to be younger than them. He had lavender hair and wore dark clothes with a denim vest. I waited until they had a lull in the fight, then picked up a rock and carefully aimed at Kain's head.

He hadn't noticed me yet, and laughed at the Earthlings. "You may as well give up. I've been doing this a long time, there's no way I'm going to lose. And I'd rather not wreck a planet that will sell for as much as this one could."

The purple-haired boy looked pissed when he heard that. "You're going to regret you ever came here!" he shouted, starting toward Kain.

I knew if they started fighting again I probably wouldn't get another chance. So I flung the rock as hard as I could at Kain, hitting him right on the side of the head. He dropped like a rock (ironically) to the ground, clutching his head and glared over for the source of the attack. The boy stopped half-way to Kain and looked down quizzically, first at me, then at his felled opponent on the ground. The other two looked confused as well. 

"Damnit Kess! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the ship!"

"Oh really?" I snapped."Is that where I'm supposed to be? I didn't know, since you never even told me we were frickin' coming here! And then you locked me in my godamn room! I'm not 5 years old, dumbass, I know how to get out!"

"You threw a frickin' rock at me!"

"So?"

By now the Earthlings had this look on their face like they could not _believe_ what was happening. They were probably wondering what kind of planet-conquering tyrant got hit in the head with a rock by a teenage girl. I bet he had been acting all macho, too, telling tales of all the civilizations he had conquered, ruthlessly and without a single regret. What a bunch of bull-shit. We'd been in this business a grand total of two years, and so far had hardly needed to fight anyone, just say that we'd conquered it and sell it to whoever wanted it. They never asked too many questions, and if they wanted to force their newfound subjects into submission, that was their problem, not ours. 

Kain grunted in frustration, bringing me back to the situation at hand. "Well, since you're here anyway, could you at least help me out here?"

"No!"

"Fine! Just stay out of the way and I'll be done in a minute!" He got up and charged the purple-haired one, catching him off guard. Then the whole thing started again for a while. I knew mybrother was good, but something about these guys told her they weren't giving it their all. They were just sporting around with him.

And their dumb little fight for the planet just kept dragging on. It was so frikin' boring! The longer they fought, the angrier I got, until I was so pissed I couldn't see straight. The next time they took a break, I snuck up behind Kain and hit him in the head again, catching him with the metal armguards I wore. He slumped down unconscious onto the ground.

"Freakin' idiot." I muttered, looking down at him. I looked up and saw the three of them staring at me. "What? He was taking too long and you were just going to beat him anyway, weren't you?"

After a moment of silence, the spiky-haired man started laughing. "Wow, knocking out your own partner. You remind me of Vegeta when he first came here." He looked over at the younger boy. "So, Trunks, do you think Bulma would mind taking in two house guests for a while?"

"Goku, I'm not sure that-"

I blinked, taken aback by this discussion. "What are you talking about? I'm not staying here. Do whatever you want with him, but I'm not going anywhere."

The man still looked like he wanted to laugh at me. "Well, we need to keep him until he wakes up. And we can't just leave you by yourself on a strange planet. How old are you anyway?"

I frowned. "What does that have to do with it?"

"Well, kids your age can't just be out on their own. People are going to be wondering where your parents are, and you can't exactly tell anyone you came to sell our planet without people thinking you're crazy. So, you'll just be coming with us." Goku said, suddenly wrapping one arm around my stomach and lifting us both into the air.

I struggled to get out of his grasp. "I said I'm not going! Let me down!"

He simply held me a bit tighter and didn't seem at all affected by my struggles. He probably wasn't, considering how strong he was. He also ignored my shouting, and turned to his son. "Gohan, can you take him for me?" he asked, nodding toward Kain.

"Uh, sure Dad." He picked up Kain and hoisted him over his shoulder. Then the whole group flew over the city, with me still fighting to get down the whole way. At this point, I really didn't care if I fell or not. I absolutely despised being forced into anything, and I _especially_hated being carried.

After a while, all of them arrived at a large, dome-shaped building. Goku landed in the yard, still holding me absently to his side. And since he was taller than me, my feet were hanging almost 3 inches above the ground. I felt like a damn rag-doll being carried around like that.

"Hey, Bulma! We're back!" he called.

A woman with light blue hair came outside from the building. She looked surprised to see the two additional people with the group. "So, are they what all the trouble was about?" she asked.

I saw my opportunity and kicked Goku hard in the shin. He dropped me instantly and brought his knee up to his chest, gingerly rubbing his leg.

"Yow! Gosh, if you wanted to get down you could have just said so!"

"I _did_ say so! I said so the whole way here! I never even wanted to get _up_ in the first place!"

Bulma, along with everyone else, stared at me for a minute. I was getting kinda tired of that. "So, uh, Gohan, Trunks will show you someplace to put the other one, and you-"she said, meaning me, "-can stay with him until he wakes up. Meanwhile, Goku, you have to tell me what's going on. I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting story."

So the two of them stayed outside talking, and I followed Trunks and Gohan to a room on the second floor. He put Kain down on a bed and left pretty quickly, probably to go talk to his dad about what they were going to do. Also, seeing how I had acted so far, he probably didn't want to be around me for very long. Which was alright by me.

Trunks stood at the door, looking at me for a moment. "If you want to rest, there's an empty room on the right."

"I'll stay here." I said shortly, looking out the window. He left.

**:Trunks POV:**

He stood unnoticed for a moment outside the doorway, watching the strange new pair sitting in his house. The girl obviously thought he had left and sat apathetically on the edge of the bed, one leg crossed and the other hanging off. There was something about her that intrigued him. She was wearing a tight black leather tank top, torn in places and buttoned in the front. The two silver armguards she wore were the only color to her. Her pants were another dark, tight-fitting material, he could assume leather as well. Her hair hung down like a silken curtain, blending perfectly with her clothes and partially concealing her face. Still, he could still see her dark eyes, and her slightly fanged canine teeth, both of which she shared with her sleeping partner. She stared crossly at her companion, who lay still on the bed without any signs of waking. She sighed and rolled her eyes, and glanced over at the doorway. She did a double-take when she finally noticed his presence, eyes narrowing to her customary glare.

"If you're just going to stand there, could you at least do something useful first?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know." She looked down thoughtfully at her fallen companion, lightly lifting his hair to see the area where she had hit him earlier. "Like maybe a washcloth and some water?"

He went to the bathroom down the hall and got the two items she asked for, a plain white cloth and small bowl of warm water, and returned to the room. She took them without thanks, not that he really expected any, and set to work lightly dabbing blood away from the man's sleeping form. She barely glanced at him, dismissing him with a look.

"You can leave now."

**:Kess' POV:**

I watched the lavender-haired youth from the corner of my eye, making sure he actually left this time, then returned my attention to my damn fool brother. Once I was done with as much doctoring as I felt he needed, I discreetly slipped the bowl and cloth under the bed, where they wouldn't be seen when he woke up.

After about half an hour, Kain finally began to stir. He groaned and felt his head slowly opening his eyes after trying a few times. But the second he saw me sitting there, he shot up, glaring indignantly at me.

"What the hell, Kess? You frikin' knocked me out? Where did that come from?"

"You took too long to lose the fight! I didn't feel like waiting all day for you to get your ass whupped, excuse me."

"I might have won! You don't know!"

I snorted. "Yeah. Sure. 3 to 1 fight, against people better than you. You're right, I have completely screwed up your perfect little plan."

For the first time he seemed to notice where he was. "Wait...this isn't the ship. What happened?"

"They brought us here. This is Trunks' house. The purple-haired guy." I added, seeing his confusion.

"You know his name?"

"I picked up their names, there wasn't any formal introduction!" I snapped, irritated that he would think I would actually _talk _to these people. This day was not going at all like I had wanted it to.

The sound of our fighting had attracted the whole group to the room.

"So, are you guys staying?" Goku asked. "Bulma said it's alright with her if you do."

Kain sighed and scratched the back of his head. "This is how you treat people who try to take over your planet?"

"Yeah, we're pretty much used to it by now."

"Well...if it's alright, then I guess it couldn't hurt to stay. It might be better for us to lie low for a while, anyway."

I stared at him. "We're staying. Are you serious? I didn't even want to come here in the first place! And what do we need to 'lie low' from?"

"We've been selling planets. Some people don't like that, you know. That's why I said we should take a break soon and let things cool off, just in case." He turned to the Earthlings. "My name's Kain, and this is Kestrel."

I glared at him.

"Or, you can call her Kess, especially when she's all bright and sunny like she is today." he continued sarcastically.

"Bite me, asshole."

Kain took a deep breath and visibly fought the impulse to start another argument. "So, anyway, it's not too much trouble for us to stay here?" he asked.

This was _really_ not turning out like I had planned.

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	2. Chapter 2::The Tournament

I'm trying out 1st person to see if it sounds better this way. If you have any preference, review/message and let me know. Actually, just review anyway.

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The next day wasn't any better. I had woken up pissed, skipped breakfast and spent the morning pouting and snapping at Kain. After all, it was his fault I was even on this backwater planet in the first place. I'd leave if I could, but unfortunately I didn't know how to fly the ship by myself. So I was stuck. 

Sometimes around noon I heard Trunks talking with another boy in the garden outside Capsul Corp. Well, it wasn't a garden, exactly. It was technically just the yard, but it had a fountain and little paths running around and everything, so it seemed more than it really was. I came out here sometime earlier to get away from everyone. For some reason, Kain was mingling really well. He could never really keep up the badass attitude around other people for very long. Just me. Once he got around other people he liked to yap about everything. So frikin' annoying.

I was sitting under a tree in the garden when I saw Trunks and another boy his age walking in my direction. The stranger had black hair just like Goku and Gohan, and also the same eyes.

How many of them are there? I wondered, seeing that the newcomer also had on orange clothes like the other two. The boy saw me and waved.

"Hey! So are you the girl Trunks was telling me about?"

"I don't know, who else was he telling you about?" I snapped.

He didn't seem at all thrown off by my attitude. "Man, Trunks, why is it always you? You go off just to fight somebody and you still manage to bring back a girl! How does that work for you?"

_Bring back a girl?_ I thought furiously. _Oh, so now I'm a prize he won for doing a good job. He didn't even win the fight, I won it for him!_

Trunks looked a bit nervous by my sudden death glare. "Uh, Goten, maybe you shouldn't-"

"I mean, come on! I had to cancel _another_ date with Felicity for this tournament, and you find yourself a girl the day before we have to go! Do you know how mad she was at me when I told her I had to go fight somewhere on the day we were supposed to _finally_ go on our second date! It took forever to set up the first one! And you know what happens on the second date,Trunks! That's when you finally get to kiss her!" Goten continued, becoming more and more upset.

"There's a tournament tomorrow?" I asked curiously, choosing to overlook Goten's idiotic ramblings in light of this new information. "Like a martial arts tournament?"

Trunks nodded, eager to change the subject. "Yea, you wanna come? It's kind of an all day thing."

"So what are the rules? Could I enter?"

"It's kind of close to the deadline, but sure, I don't see why not." Trunks said. "...you're not allowed to kill anybody, though." he added.

I frowned. "What made you think I was going to kill anybody?"

"Uh, nothing, it's just that-"

Kain's voice from behind me cut off Trunks' reply. "You're not going to kill anyone because you're not going to enter." he said firmly.I sprung up instantly, whipping around to face him. "I don't remember asking for your permission."

""Well, too bad. You're the baby. That means you need my permission to do anything, and I overrule you on everything."

"That is not how it works! Why can't I go? We're not even staying that long and I need something to do before I lose my frikin' mind!"

"Still not going."

"Yes I am!"

He sighed. "Kess, I'm not getting into another bitch fight with you."

"I'll show you a bitch fight!"

I tackled him and engaged in a rough wrestling match on the ground. Rolling in the dirt, we both fought viciously over who would be on top in the end. He got my arms twisted behind me at last, and sat panting for a moment. I relaxed, pretending to concede defeat. But the second he loosened his grip, I rolled over and punched him in the nose.

"Aack!!" He sat up quickly, pinching his nose between his thumb and forefinger to halt any bleeding. "You punched me in the face!"

I shot up too, glowering at him and fully-ready to take him on again. "Look, asshole, I'm going to fight someone before the end of the week, and if you want it to be you-"

He waved me off with his free hand. "Alright, alright, gaah. I would've let you go if I'd have know you were gonna punch me in the face."

I exhaled deeply and looked over toward Trunks and Goten, hands on my hips. "So," I smirked, "Where do I sign up?"

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The next day the entire group of Earthlings met at Capsul Corp. at 7:30 and rode together to the tournament grounds, telling stories about the fights they had been in. While Goku was recounting defeating Freeza as the planet Namek shattered around him, I gave Kain a look that left him with no doubt I would be using this new-found knowledge well. If this guy could defeat someone like Freeza, that meant I had been right , Kain had been wrong, and he would have gotten his ass whupped. So there. 

Once everyone arrived, they took nearly an hour to get through all the registration, and then nearly twice that long for the preliminary fights. I was waiting _forever _for my name to be called for my qualifying battle, and then once they finally called me, my opponent was a total wimp. That couldn't even be considered a fight. I didn't see how everyone else could be so relaxed about this. It was boring. As expected, the group all qualified for the start of the tournament at ten. Goku and his two sons, Trunks, a short man called Krillin, and Kain. I was also included in the final cut, of course. The remaining 7 spots were filled with 'normal' people. Wusses, in other words.

As the first match started, between two guys I didn't know I sat and mulled over how I was going to victimize my opponent. The annoyingly chipper Goten had been chosen for my first match. It annoyed me to no end that he wasn't at all worried about me. Although, I wasn't really much of a fighter. I preferred jumping someone from behind in the dark whenever I sought vengeance. But in a brightly lit tournament ring, with no cover whatsoever. Damn. Oh well. It'd still be a good way to relieve some stress. I sat back against the wall, almost dozing off until the announcer called my name. I jerked awake and sat still, gathering my thoughts for a moment, until I saw Goten grinning at me from the door leading to the ring.

"You coming?" he asked. "I could understand if you backed out, you know."

I gritted my teeth. Oh, that does it. I didn't care if I lost, I was gonna get this guy before the day was over.

I walked out, ignoring the cheering crowd in the stands and ascended the ring. As I left, I heard Kain in a side conversation with Goku saying, "Just hope she doesn't punch him in the face." I smirked and calmly made my way to the center of the ring, Goten facing me a few feet away. At the announcer's signal I didn't even hesitate.

I punched him in the face.

He was so astonished by my directness, it didn't even occur to him to dodge as my fist landed solidly on his nose. His reaction was very similar to Kaine's, staggering back and holding the injured portion of his face.

"Ow! What was that for?" he demanded. He looked up only to see me in front of him again and receive another blow to the face, only this time to his cheek.

He fell sideways, more surprised than actually hurt. But I could tell it _had_ hurt. That alone made me feel better.

I put my hands on my hips, looking disdainfully down at him. "We're fighting. What did you expect me to do?"

He got up slowly, nursing his newly wounded cheek. "I don't know, but not that."

I rolled my eyes and threw my fist forward again. He surprised me by catching my wrist this time, deciding not to be caught off-guard again. I growled and swung with my other fist, only to have it captured as well. I jerked back, trying to free myself, but couldn't break his grasp. He flashed a small grin at me, eyes glinting at his sure victory.

"So, now what?"

I exhaled slowly, trying to stay calm, but it wasn't' working too well. I hated having people touch me. Something about physical contact with another person, it just made my skin crawl and I instinctively drew back from them. A sudden thought occurred to me, and I mirrored his confident grin before rearing back and smashing my head into his own. He released me, and jumped back, doubtless forming a strategy to beat me without hurting me. Frickin' sap.

Still, I winced from the intense pain in my forehead. I had just hurt myself more than him, but if it was what it took for him to let go of me, so be it. I chewed on my tongue, dismayed at my lack of options. He was too alert for any more direct attacks, and I knew I didn't have enough speed to get behind him. There was only one other thing to do.

I crossed my arms and walked over to the edge of the ring, Goten's curious eyes following me the whole way. I simply hopped down, re-crossed my arms and turned my nose in the air.

"I give." I said simply.

The announcer stood dumbfounded, along with my former opponent and everyone else in the stadium.

"Y-You give?" The announcer repeated in disbelief.

I frowned. "Did I stutter?" I walked down the pathway and was halfway through the waiting room for other fighters before Goten caught up with me.

"Hey, wait a minute! What do you mean you're giving up? We barely even got started!" He exclaimed indignantly.

I glared back at him over my shoulder. "What was the point? I'm not fast enough to fight you for real, and I'm not going to have you toy with me until you get bored and finally finish it! If I'm going to lose it might as well be on my terms."

And with that, I turned once more and left the small crowd mutely staring after me.

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Since I wasn't doing any more fighting for the rest of the day, I made my way up to the top of the stadium seats, ignoring the stares of the people I passed on the way up. Finally I arrived at my destination. The very top. At least 500 feet from the ground, with nothing but a railing separating me from the empty edge. I sat down with my legs under the rails, letting my feet dangle and resting my arms against the cool metal bar in front of me. I listened with disinterest at the announcer commentary on the following fights. Goku vs. Some guy, Goku won, Gohan verses Krillin, Gohan won, Trunks verses some guy, Trunks won, and then Trunks verses Goten at the start of the 2nd round. Trunks won. I sniffed. At least Happy-go-Lucky got what was coming to him. 

I closed my eyes, sitting with the wind trailing through my hair, ebon locks flowing out and slipping across my face. I always felt at peace when I was like this. Removed from the rest of the world. I smiled, feeling the emptiness underneath my feet and imagined what it would be like to slip through the bars and twirl forever through the wind. Falling forever.

A soft step on the concrete beside me roused me from my reverie. I growled in annoyance and opened my eyes, looking over to see Trunks lean onto the railing beside me, gazing out over the city.

"I thought contestants weren't supposed to leave the arena." I said dully, secretly very curious as to why he would leave his friends to come up here with me. Especially now that he was in the final rounds.

He shrugged. "We're not, but it's easy to sneak out. What are you doing up here?"

I snorted. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"You could watch your brother's fight, see how he does."

"I'll pass." I said dully.

I could feel his eyes on me, but I kept my own out towards the city, trying to ignore his presence.

His next question surprised me.

"You wanna get out of here?"

I frowned and looked over, more than a little suspicious. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged again. "Goten was the only one I really wanted to fight, and I already beat him. And I know when I lose to Goku my father'll force me into an emergency training session as punishment for..not upholding his honor, or something like that. I don't know, but I really don't want to go through with that. So," he looked down at me again, "Wanna get out of here?"

I considered it for a few seconds, weighing the thought of sitting up here for the rest of the day and going off to see the planet. The latter was infinitely more interesting. I cocked my head to the side and flashed him another canine-toothed smirk. "Hell yes."


	3. Chapter 3::Running Away

**Oi! **

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Within minutes I and Trunks managed to sneak out from the tournament arena, blending into the crowds outside where all the booths were selling food and souvenirs to the spectators. This was great. I could just imagine the look on Kain's face once he found out I snuck off. He would be so pissed.After Trunks' suggested it, the two of us headed to the nearest mall. We had to take the bus, since if we flew everyone would sense our ki and know that we had left and exactly where we were going. Also, I hated flying with anyone. It had taken me forever to learn, and I still couldn't just take off straight up. I had to do this stupid little running start to get going. It actually wasn't that bad, just one or two steps to build some speed and then I could jump and fly as fast as anyone. But it was still embarrassing. 

I finally arrived at the mall about 2:00 in the afternoon. At first I amused myself by planting stuff in other girls' purses so they'd get busted for shoplifting, and succeeded in getting myself and Trunks run out of 3 separate stores for loudly describing their merchandise as overpriced crap and cussing at the store workers when they tried to reason with me.

"But this shirt is 100 cashmere!" one woman tried to explain, when I asked her very calmly who the hell she thought she was screwing over selling a shirt for $200.

I snorted. "Well, the price is 100 bull-shit."

And then she called mall security, and Trunks pulled me out of the store to escape to another part of the building. This area looked a lot more promising. Stuff I'd actually wear. Mostly.

I stood outside one shop, looking curiously through the glass at a long black tank top with tiny silver sparkles, resembling raindrops falling down in the night, when I suddenly heard Trunks' voice at my side.

"You want it?"

I gave him a strange look. "What do you mean? I don't have any cash."

He shrugged. "Don't worry, I got it."

I narrowed my eyes, instantly suspicious. Why was he being..nice to me? He was acting all laid-back about it, like it was nothing, but that's still what it was. Nice.

"Just to be clear, do you mean you'd buy the shirt, or let me run amok and spend all your money on a bunch of crap?"

He smirked and pulled out his wallet, fishing out a shiny credit card and holding it out between two fingers. My eyes lit up at the sight.

"Oh, I forgot. Your family's loaded. You don't care." I said, snatching the card away and admiring it and all its shining possibilities.

"Pretty much." He conceded.

"Cool. I have to warn you, though, you could be here for a while. And you are responsible for carrying any and all baggage."

"Don't worry, I'm used to it"" he scoffed.

I frowned, not quite liking the way he said that.""Don't think that means I waste money on a bunch of stupid crap and buy a shitload of stuff I don't need! I meant that..you know what, just let me show you. Come on."

He followed me into the store and watched as I surveyed a rack of different shirts all mixed together.

"Okay, this I hate, hate, wouldn't be caught dead in," I continued, flipping past each article and judging it separately, "hate, hate, double-hate, hmm…" I stopped and pulled out the black tank top, briefly confirmed that it was the same one I saw in the window, and lightly tossed it over Trunks' arm. "This I like."

He mumbled something under his breath, probably something vaguely like 'about damn time,' but I ignored him and continued on my scathing commentary. This time I kept my remarks quiet enough for the sales people not to hear and have us kicked out again. There were a few things I wanted to get in here.

"What about this one?" he asked.

There was something about his voice when he said that that made me turn and look at what he was talking about. I froze in my track, confronted with a short, pink-sequined dress hanging on the wall. I stood for a moment, horrified by the nightmare of wearing that, ever, and was brought back to reality by a quiet snickering behind me. I whipped around, death-glaring the Saiyan with all my might.

He stopped laughing, but couldn't keep a straight face.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I asked accusingly. "The sight of that dress will haunt my dreams tonight! Did you even consider that?"

He grinned at me. "I'm so sorry." He said sarcastically.

"You know what? Screw you. Just pay for this crap and we'll get out of here."

"As you wish." He bowed his head at me for a moment, and solemnly proceeded to the register. I stood with my head cocked, staring after him for a moment. As much as I hated to admit it, he actually was kind of fun. Even being a sarcastic jackass.

Once I left the store, I was astounded with the number of people roaming the mall. It had to have doubled from when we first came. People must be out of work, or the tournament was over, or something like that. Whatever it was, it made me nervous. Being around this many people...it stressed me out. I always felt like they were always bumping into me, or getting too close to me, and I couldn't stand just not being able to see around me. I couldn't stand being surrounded like this. My shoulders tensed and I turned sharply and set off at a quick pace towards the nearest exit, trying my hardest not to bump into anyone. Trunks noticed my agitation and sped up a bit to catch up with me.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing"" I said quickly. "Just..could we go somewhere with less people?"

In response to his unasked question, I snapped, "I don't like crowds, alright!"

He looked down at me for another second or so, then shrugged and headed for the exit. He had arranged for the store to have the clothes I bought delivered to Capsul Corp., and while it took some of the fun out of watching him carrying all the bags, it meant I could get out a lot faster.

* * *

Trunks and I escaped the crowds in the local park for a few hours. Once we arrived I started climbing all the trees I could, and practiced jumping from one branch to another. It had been a while since I was free to run around outside. Kain was always too busy, taking me everywhere for jobs and stuff, and he would never let me run off unsupervised for long. Of course, the stricter he was, the better I got at running away from him. It was a never-ending cycle. 

Trunks stood under the tree, looking curiously up at me.

"You do this a lot?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yea. I always thought it was a good skill to have."

"Why?"

"Well, if someone's chasing you, and you have the choice between running and climbing a tree and running, I think the best option would be to get 10 feet above their head so they can't catch you as fast." I said simply.

"Hn. I would think if someone was chasing you, they'd probably get punched in the face."

"Probably, yea. But don't rag on my theory!"

"I'm just sayin-"

"Yea, you're just saying, you wanna try it?! Get up here and try to catch me!" I challenged, bending a supple branch around my arm and crouching down, waiting for him.

He considered me for a moment, then hopped up on the branch in front of me. "Alright. Shouldn't be too hard."

I cocked my head to the side. "Oh, really?" At his smirk, I let go of the branch around my arm, jumping back into a different tree. As he leapt up to follow me, the branch I had held whipped around, striking with a sharp slap on his cheek. I heard a muttered curse, grinned to myself, turned and jumped through three more trees, hardly making any noise as my feet pushed off the moss-covered branches. I heard small rustlings as he chased after me, but I was a lot faster than him. He might be the fighter, but I spent all my time exploring. I could find my way through a forest. After 10 minutes, he still hadn't been able to catch me, and I hopped down onto a thick, low branch growing almost as a second tree trunk and waited for him to catch up with me. I wondered how much longer he was going to put up with this and not just admit defeat.

I hummed to myself and lightly tapped my foot on the branch beneath me. Why was he taking so long? I frowned, body growing still as I listened intently for the rustle of his clothing against the leaves. Growing nervous at the silence, I crawled back against the trunk, and sat crouched on all fours against the bark. Now he couldn't get behind me, and I could see on all sides in front of me. There wasn't any branch under me, and if he touched the ground then he lost. I heard a small _crack_ from above me, and froze as I realized the only direction I hadn't covered. Before I could move, a hand gently cupped my shoulder and pushed me off the branch. I fell roughly on the grass below, a small grunt forced out of my throat as Trunks fell heavily on top of me. His upper body effectively pinned me underneath him, his lower body on the ground beside me. I was annoyed that he had been able to sneak up on me, and for some reason very conscious of the hard muscles of his chest that pressed down on me. He was still for a moment, catching his breath from the chase and resting his head down beside mine. For some reason, I didn't feel nearly as uncomfortable as I did whenever anyone else touched me. Still, I growled softly at him to let him know not to push his luck.

He kept me down just long enough so I knew I had been caught, then calmly rolled off of me and propped himself up on one elbow, smirking at I.

"You were saying?"

I rolled my eyes and sat up, trying to shake off the comfortable feeling his weight had put on me and be properly annoyed with him. "Oh, shut up. Still took you forever."

He smirked again, and lay quietly for a moment before looking up at me. "Kestrel? Can I ask you something?"

"You just did. But yea, why not?"

"What's up with you and Kain?"

I felt my body stiffen. "What do you mean?" I asked cooly.

"Well, he's your brother, isn't he? You two seem to fight all the time."

I dug my nails into the grass beneath me, digging up a fistful of roots and soil and letting them sift out between my fingers. "We just don't get along."

"What about the rest of your family?"

I stood up suddenly and began walking to the park entrance, not looking back at him. "We should go back now." I said shortly.

* * *

**I love these little lines!**

**Also, I have another Trunks story & a Gaara story on my Quizilla account, if anybody's interested. Same name, amazing results. ----(gay joke) **

* * *


	4. Chapter 4::

* * *

The two of us walked back to Capsul Corp in complete silence. I walked fast enough to stay ahead of him, and made it perfectly clear I wasn't talking to him. I didn't owe him any explanations. 

I walked in the front door only to be met with the sight of a very pissed off brother and blue-haired mother. I mentally slapped myself for not thinking to sneak back in and resigned yourself to having to deal with Kain tonight. But I really wished this could have waited until morning.

Kain gave me a look that clearly said 'we're not doing this here', and nodded toward the stairs. I reluctantly followed him, glancing back at Trunks standing very nervously in front of his mother, who looked like she was about to grow fangs and attack.

"Have fun." I called back sarcastically, receiving his death glare by rolling my eyes and sauntering off upstairs. Once I was out of sight, I could hear the sounds of a woman yelling from downstairs. I almost felt bad for him.

Almost.

I followed Kain into my room upstairs. Damn. That meant I couldn't storm out, I'd have to forcibly remove him from my sight. Highly inconvenient. Still, there wasn't any need to worry. Kain would fight with me if he got mad enough, but he was mostly just talk.

I strolled in and allowed him to slam the door behind me. For a moment, there was silence. Puzzled, I turned and cocked my head at him.

"What, no yelling this time?" I asked mischievously, smirking slightly and jumping backwards onto the bed, landing comfortably on my back.

He growled slightly in annoyance. "That depends. What did you do?"

"I haven't the slightest idea what you mean." I said innocently.

"Did you steal anything?"

"No."

"Break anything?"

"No."

"Get drunk on anything?"

"Still no."

"Hm. Then what did you do with that guy all day?" He asked, somewhat suspicious.

I scoffed. "Yes, Kain, I snuck away with this guy I met..two days ago and we had sex all. day. long. And now I'm going to come home and tell my _brother _I all about it."

He wrinkled his nose. "Kestrel, please."

"What? That's what you were asking, wasn't it?"

"I didn't think you had done all that, but...you don't exactly have high standards, you know." he said delicately.

I sat up on my elbows and raised an eyebrow at him. "For your information, the furthest I've ever been is making-out for my own personal advantage. And I don't mean like a 10-minute session, or anything. I use the term 'make-out' very loosely. And as I recall, you've asked me to _persuade_ guys to do something for you before, haven't you?"

"You know I didn't mean for you to actually do anything! And I've only asked you when I really needed it!"

"Yea, yea, I know. You've only asked me to dress all skanky and act like a slut when you really needed my help. That makes me feel so much better."

"Look, I actually didn't want to fight with you tonight."

"Really? I thought that's what you were here for."

"Well, I was, but..it sounds like you didn't actually do anything, so..." he sighed and opened the door. "The only thing I would say would be to tell me next time you go running off, but you're not going to do that, so I guess we're done here."

And with that, he walked out and closed the door after him.

* * *

I woke up late the next morning, squinting at the sunlight streaming in through my window. I sighed and stayed in bed, lying in a only semi-conscious bliss until nearly 11:00. I heard a loud, persistent knocking on my door and was brought back unpleasantly to reality. I hurled a pillow at the door, hitting with a small _thump _and temporarily silencing the source of the noise. 

"Kestrel?" a voice asked quietly. Trunks' voice.

I blinked and raised my head, staring at the door. "What the hell do you want?" I asked curiously.

I heard a muffled laugh at my blunt question, then a small click as the door unlocked and swung open. He stood leaning on one arm against the doorframe, looking down at me with amusement.

"Were you planning on staying here all day?"

I snorted and lay my head down again. "Potentially." I looked up slyly at him. "Did you have a good time last night?"

He groaned, then frowned and looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. "You know, it actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"Weird. Mine too." I frowned in thought for a moment. Then, my eyes widened and my body shot up. "You don't think they're planning something, do you?"

"Like what?" he asked skeptically.

"I don't know, but think about it! You didn't get yelled at like you thought you would, and I didn't get yelled at all. They must have a plot." I concluded, eyes darting from side to side as if I could find evidence in my room.

"Hm." He considered it for a moment. "I don't know exactly what they would be planning, but I wouldn't put it past Mom to try something. I just have no idea what."

"It's brilliant!" I exclaimed. "You don't know that jackass like I do! Why yell at me for a night when he can find a co-conspirator to concoct a major scheme of vengeance!?" I sat mulling it over for a moment, gradually working myself into a very foul mood. I glared over at Trunks.

"What did you want, anyway?" I snapped.

He blinked in surprise and took a moment to remember why he came in the first place.

"Oh, I wanted to see if you were coming to lunch with us."

I stared at him a moment. "Lunch? Like an..outing?"

The corners of his mouth twitched up, almost smiling at the look on my face.

"Yes, like an outing. There's this picnic spot we all go to sometimes, just to get everybody together, and I was wondering if you wanted to come."

I chewed on my tongue, considering it. Being outside, a definite plus. Being surrounded by people..definite downside.

"Do I have to..do anything?" I asked hesitatingly. "Like..talk to people and be all... i social /I. ?

"No."

"Well...fine. I'll go join your cult."

He grinned and shook his head, turning to leave. "The clothes you bought are by the door."

* * *

The entire group of Earthlings (and Saiyans, too, technically) met at Capsul Corp. About 30 minutes later, with everybody bringing some kind of food to contribute to the overall feast, and piled into a giant yellow hovercraft to go together to the picnic site. I sat on the floor in the back, letting everyone else take the seats in front and yap amongst themselves. I was much happier back where it was quiet and not so crowded. 

Once I arrived at the picnic grounds, I was glad I had decided to come. The site was in the midst of gently rolling, deep green hills covered with trees in full bloom. Delicate pink and white petals fluttered to the ground, blanketing the grass beneath each tree. I was quick to get my food and wander off, settling down a ways away from the group under one of the blossoming trees, looking out at a glimmering lake in the distance.

It was maybe an hour before I started to get restless, wanting to see more of the scenery, but knowing Kain would throw a fit if I ran off again.

_This bites. He starts griping at me if I go out of his sight for more than a minute, even if I don' t do anything. Like yesterday. But then again...if he's going to snipe at me no matter what I do, why not have some fun this time?_

I furtively glanced over to make sure no one was looking my way, quietly rose and ran off to the cover of the trees.

I made my way back to the city on foot after about 2 hours. I didn't mind walking so far in a place like this. The cherry blossomed trees continued for several miles, endless stretches of pink, feathery treetops stretching out over the hills like waves. Normally the color offended my very soul, but in nature it was kind of..pretty. Not that I'd ever say so. As much as I hated to admit it, this planet was kind of nice.

Once I reached West City I searched about for a good place to kill some time, and found..

A somewhat shady-looking bar.

Perfect.

This wasn't the kind of place that would check for an ID, so I walked in and ordered 2 bottles of vodka to occupy me for the night.

* * *

I went through the bottles gradually over the next few hours, taking my time and relishing each shot as it drug me down deeper into a carefree haze. I sat with my back against the wall at a corner table, slowly swirling the small amount of liquid left in the bottle, watching the orange glow of the lights reflecting back at me. I sighed and closed my eyes, tired of the dim lights blurring in my vision, and just listened to the heavy metal rock thrumming out of dust-covered speakers, bottle hanging loosely in my hand. 

I felt a light touch on my shoulder and immediately snapped out of my haze, tightening my grip on the bottle in my hand. I glared over at the source of the disturbance, blinking in disbelief when I saw who it was.

Though he was somewhat blurry, I could still definitely make out a lavender-haired Saiyan youth standing over me. A rather angry looking Saiyan youth.

Still, I really wasn't sober enough to care what he was mad about. I lightly waved my hand in greeting, smirking slightly at the sight of Trunks in the dark corner of a bar. He fit in pretty well, surprisingly.

"Hey. How'd you get here?" I asked offhandedly.

His grip tightened on my shoulder. "Never mind me, what are _you_ doing here?"

I scoffed and drowned the last drop of vodka from the bottle. "What does it look like?"

The next thing I knew, I was bodily lifted from my seat and being dragged half-way to the door by my arm. I dug my heels into the ground and tried to jerk my arm away, but he still got me outside the bar without any trouble. Once outside he started to drag me back in the direction of Capsul Corp..

"Would you let go of me, already?!" I snapped, trying once again to wrench my arm out of his grasp.

He glared back at me. "No! You don't need to be in a place like that anyway, but especially not by yourself when no one else knows where you are! Something could have happened to you!"

"Oh, shut up! What do you care anyway? And what right do you have to tell me how to live?!"

"Because it's obvious you don't care!"

"Exactly! I don't! So leave me alone!"

He swung me around by my elbow to face him, his angry eyes connecting with my own.

"Don't you understand that it's dangerous for you to be out when you don't know what you're doing?! People will take advantage of that, Kestrel!"

I narrowed my eyes, about to start a fight with him right there, when another idea occurred to me. Why fight when I could use my wondrous acting talents? He was a guy, after all.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breathes, exhaling slowly to calm myself down. When I opened my eyes they had softened considerably, body relaxing as well. He looked slightly puzzled by the change in my expression, but kept a wary hold on my arm. I took a step forward, closing the distance between me, and briefly scanned his body. A subtle touch, but I could tell he noticed. I sighed softly, bringing up my captured arm and resting it lightly against his chest. I took another half-step toward him, bringing my body against his. I mostly kept my eyes on his chest, but every few seconds my eyes would dart up briefly to meet his. But then I would look down, or away, giving off the impression of shyness. I could tell it was working. Already I felt his grip loosen on my elbow, until he released me completely, sliding his hand loosely up my arm to my shoulder. Still, I needed to draw him in a bit more.

"I-I know you're just worried about me, Trunks. " I said softly, lightly tracing circles into his shirt with my free hand. "Guys have tried to take advantage of me before. So I know what you mean. Even Kain has, if he's needed something from me."

"What do you mean?"he murmured, slowly wrapping an arm around me and drawing me in closer to him.

I glanced up coyly into his eyes again. "Well, if- if a man has something he needs, like a computer file, or..just some kind of information, he tells me to go and..find out what he needs to know. And these men..I see how they look at me. They don't care how old I am, they just want..." I bit my lip and looked up, smiling faintly in embarrassment. "Well, you know."

The way he was looking at me, with so much pity for what I must have gone through, I knew I had him. Now all that was left was to finish it off.

I leaned up slightly, bringing my face very close to his own and gazing at him through half-closed eyes. "So, I really do appreciate what you're trying to do. " I whispered. "But " I smirked, eyes hardening again instantly, and gathering a fistful of his shirt in my hands.

"I know_ exactly _what I'm doing." I spat, pushing him back as hard as I could away from me. His eyes widened in surprise and he fell back, tripping over the edge of the sidewalk and landing in the middle of the street. I stood just long enough to scoff down at him, then turned and disappeared into the darkness of the alley.

* * *

**Oi. I'm leaving off this story for a bit until I get a few more reviews and also to let the hits stack up some more. Also, I actually need to write the next chapter instead of just converting it from my Quizilla site. If you want to see my other stuff on Quizilla, it's listed as my homepage on my profile, and I have the same username on there. **


	5. Chapter 5::Deception

:Trunk's POV:

He sat stunned for a moment in the street, staring in shock at the empty space Kestrel had disappeared from, his heart still pounding from the encounter. He couldn't believe the effect she'd had on him. He had been completely taken in by her performance, never even considered that it might…have been just an act.

But it was. And now he could see what she meant earlier, about getting information from different men for her brother's business. He had thought that she was taken advantage of, that these were the kind of men who would never for a moment regret being involved with a teenage girl. But now he understood. It wasn't the guys, it was _her._ She had perfected that act, the faked shyness and quiet vulnerability transmitted through every subtle movement of her body. Even her eyes were different.

He jerked himself back into reality and hastily stood, wiping the dirt from the street off of his arms. He winced as his hands brushed over a raw scrape on the underside of his arm, a result of the sudden impact with the pavement. _She's stronger than I thought _he realized, surprised that she would have pushed him with enough force to actually injure him. Of course, he didn't have his defenses up, or he could have easily stopped himself from falling.

_But that was the whole point _he reflected, remembering her fury when he had her firmly by the arm, powerless to stop him from taking her back home. He was amazed she could have masked that so easily.

Fine. If that was how she wanted to play, so be it. He could wait. Maybe, if the time was right, he could try that little trick on her and see how she liked it.

* * *

:Kess' POV:

I strode angrily through the darkened alleyways, changing directions often just in case Trunks thought to follow me. I didn't think he would. Usually when I had pulled that stunt on a guy, they were too embarrassed at having fallen for it to chase after me. But I needed to work off this extra energy anyway. It didn't help that my head was completely clear now. Damn idiot ruined my buzz.

When I was convinced he wasn't coming after me, I finally stop and consider where exactly I was going. It was technically possible for me to stay up all night and avoid having to find a makeshift place to sleep, but then that would only delay Kain coming after me. And he'd probably bring all those damn Saiyans on the hunt with him. Then I'd be yelled at while exhausted.

As much as I hated to admit it, returning to Capsul Corp. was probably the best thing for me to do. It wasn't likely anyone would be waiting up for me at this time of night. Or morning, as it were. Kain might have tried, but he couldn't go without 8 hours of sleep a night or he'd be a mental case. So I could easily sneak in and avoid all the senseless drama until sun-up at least.

Bu still…I should probably look into getting some of this planet's currency, just in case I ended up in a similar situation in the future. Which was all too likely. I looked around, debating whether or not to break into one of the stores and steal some. But since I didn't know what kind of security devices they 

had here, that probably wouldn't be a smart idea. Alarms and police I could deal with easily enough, but hidden cameras and sealed doors…I'd been caught in bad situations before.

Fortunately for me, salvation came in the form of a drunken middle-aged man, being escorted by a rather burly police officer from a bar down the street. I paused, considering the situation. If the cop didn't know the guy, then maybe I could make a play off this.

"Listen, buddy, I think it's high-time you went home. You can't stay in there all night, you know." The officer explained patiently, supporting the drunken man by his arm and gradually steering him away from the bar's darkened doorway.

"I'll do whatIwant!" the man slurred, waving his other arm in an attempt to…escape? Prove his mobility? I wasn't sure, but it didn't seem like the two knew each other. And even better, the police officer seemed like one of the 'good cops'. They were so much easier to work with.

I took action, running toward the pair. "Sir!" I called desperately, waving toward the policeman and silently hating myself for having to use that term. "That's my father! You're not arresting him, are you? I promise he didn't mean to do anything wrong!"

The officer paused, looking curious at me as I came to a halt in front of him. "You're father? What's he doing out here instead of at home with you? And why are you out so late?"

"Well, he doesn't do this normally, but.." I lowered my voice and looked down at my feet. "It's my mom. She left him a few days ago, and since then…he just hasn't gotten back on his feet yet." I snapped my eyes back up. "But he's okay during the day, really. If I can just get him back home, he'll be fine, I promise!"

He looked you over for a moment and shifted the man's weight on his arm. "You understand, I can't just let you take him home in this condition."

"Oh, he doesn't get violent or anything, you don't have to worry about that! And I can call someone to pick up us! Just please don't take him!" I begged. If I could just get this idiot cop to leave I could start to see how much cash this guy had on him. Hopefully he hadn't wiped himself out at that bar.

He opened his mouth to argue, when suddenly a trilling beep came from his belt. He shifted and looked down at something resembling a cell phone hanging at his waist.

"Damn, break-in across town." He looked up at me again. "Look, you're sure there' someone you can call tonight?"

Feeling him wavering, I nodded quickly. "Yes, I'm positive. He's got some really good friends, trust me."

He nodded once and gently set the now sleeping man against the wall of a nearby building. He turned and jogged down to a white car with two different-colored lights on top of it, calling back over his shoulder, " If you can't reach anyone, call the police department. One of our guys can come get you."

* * *

I crouched down by the man and began looking for any money once I was sure the cop was driving the other way. After a moment's searching, I found a battered leather wallet in his coat pocket. Opening it, I saw it was only about half-full, but it was as good as I could expect under the circumstances. I took most of it, leaving only about 15 dollars left for the guy to get home whenever he woke up.

Hey, I'm completely heartless.

I was rudely awakened in my room later that morning, torn violently from my happy slumber in a heap of blankets on the floor by my bed by someone _jumping_ on me. I jumped and wiggled my head out of the covers, glaring blearily up at the image of my well-rested brother sitting firmly on my stomach.

Before I could open my mouth to let out a stream of curses at this somewhat painful interruption, Kain firmly pressed the covers over my mouth, effectively silencing me. If only looks could kill.

"I'm not asking what you did last night, because Trunks already told me." He announced. "I'm not going to gripe at you, but I'm not letting you sleep in after all that. Instead, you are making me breakfast on this fine morning."

I squirmed, trying to free myself from his hold over my mouth to tell him exactly what I thought about that plan. He only pressed harder.

"As a matter of fact, you will be making breakfast for everyone this morning, to make up for disrupting our lunch yesterday by running away and making Trunks come looking for you."

I blinked, surprised at that new information. Trunks was the only one who came looking for me? Why would he, if no one else would?

In response to my questioning look, Kain merely shrugged. "I have no idea why. He was the only one who didn't believe me when I said you'd come back. Or maybe he believed me, he just went anyway. But, about breakfast. As you know, I prefer my eggs scrambled, my waffles squishy-soft and with chocolate chips, rather than any disgusting berry."

I frowned and tore out from under his grip. "If I cook, no one can say shit to me about running off."

He bowed his head. "Agreed."

He picked himself up and went to stand by the door. "You've got five minutes to make yourself presentable, and then I'll be expecting my adorable little ray of sunshine."

_What did he just call me? _

He was gone before I could find something heavy to throw at him.

* * *

**Short, I know. But I couldn't think of any other way to divide it, and I wanted to get something else out. Plus, I'm still having some problems with the end of what would be the full 5th chapter.  
**

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Within 15 minutes I made my way downstairs, striding past the group of curious onlookers in the dining room on my way to the kitchen. I calmly reached out and grabbed Kain's arm in an iron grip, dragging him through the doorway with me.

"Let me make this perfectly clear. I'll cook your damn waffles, but I'm not serving anyone, I'm not talking to anyone, and if anyone comes into this kitchen while I'm working, it'll mean hot coffee poured directly into your pants, got it?"

"Uh, yeah, sure."

"Good." I released his arm and turned around, reaching up to tie my hair in a bun. "Then get out."

Half an hour later, I stood back and surveyed my work. Ten stacks of waffles, chocolate, chip, blueberry, and buttermilk. I'd considered making half as many stacks, each ridiculously tall, but reasoned that if any fell on the floor, the small satisfaction of revenge wouldn't be worth seeing my work ruined. I might not have made enough to fill up five Saiyans, but there was plenty of assorted fruit in the fridge to go with it.

I rolled my eyes as I heard Goku approach the doorway, hopefully poking his head into the kitchen. It had to have been the fourth time the rich aroma of fresh waffles wafting out of the room had drawn him there.

"Kestrel, I'm hungry! Are you done yet?" he whined pleadingly.

I sighed and turned around, tugging my hair out of its tie.

"Yeah."

"Woo-hoo! Breakfast!" He cheered, bounding forward and eagerly stuffing two waffles in his mouth before somehow balancing four plates of waffles in his arms and striding back into the dining room. I heard simultaneous cheer from Goten and Krillin, and a quick, silencing rebuke from the women in the room.

Next to appear in the doorway was Kain.

"Can I come in without being castrated with boiling coffee?" he asked, only half-joking.

I shrugged, wiping off my hands and preparing to leave.

He looked relieved, finally daring to set foot in my domain. He tucked a can of whip cream under his arm before picking up two more plates to place with the others in the dining room. He paused in the doorway, looking back at me.

"I don't suppose you feel like joining us?"

I gave him a hard stare and turned around, grabbing an apple from a bowl on the counter and climbing out the window over the sink.

* * *

I stayed outside for the next hour; eventually I ended up sitting on the balcony outside the open glass doors of the living room, listening as the group inside talked. From what I heard, the Saiyans still present were still picking at the left-over's of breakfast.

Chi-Chi's voice –"Goku, do you have to eat in here? You're going to get crumbs on the carpet."

"I can't help it, these are really good!" he replied, his words a bit muffled by the food stuffed in his mouth.

Krillin – "Yea, it kinda surprised me. Who knew a girl like Kess could cook that well?"

Kain – "Of course, how do you think we survived on a ship by ourselves? She'd actually make a great girlfriend if she could just learn to keep her mouth shut."

_Honestly, go ahead and say it. 'She'd make a great girlfriend if she could just quit acting like a bitch, stop throwing tantrums, forget her wide selection of profane insults, and essentially be the nice little girl everyone wants her to be.'_

Bulma's voice – "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about her."

A cautious reply – "What about, specifically?"

_Yes, do tell._

"I've been thinking she should go to school with Trunks and Goten once spring break's over."

_You're kidding._

The momentary silence in the room showed everyone shared my disbelief.

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you're all scared of a teenage girl?" she asked in exasperation.

"It's just that…I don't think Kess will take well to that suggestion."

"What are you saying? You're her guardian, what matters is what you think of it! And I think she needs some sort of structure in her life. If she didn't get her own way all the time, she wouldn't be this wild in the first place."

He sighed. "It's really not as easy as you're making it sound."

"Of course it is! If Chi-Chi and I can raise half-Saiyan children that can fly out their windows whenever they feel like it, then there's no reason you can't manage a hot-headed girl!"

I sat there on the edge of the balcony, slowly digging my fingernails into my arm, seething at her words. I wasn't going to lie to myself: everything she said about me was true. But how dare she try to rally Kain to be a parent to me? Trying to get him to _discipline _me, get his way over mine! I'd never gotten my way back home, never! It had always been about him, he was always the favorite, always the perfect one they'd wanted to show off to all their friends. And when the time came, he wasn't the one they threw out like trash! How dare she, when she didn't know a damn thing about it!

* * *

**Trunks' POV**

* * *

He sat on the couch beside Krillin, decidedly uncomfortable with where this conversation was going. He was fine with joking about his friends or family with others, but talking about Kess like this behind her back felt wrong to him. He felt guilty just being there, whether he was contributing anything or not.

He looked up, suddenly aware of a rapidly rising power level coming from the balcony outside. Even though it took him a while to be able to easily tell apart energy signals, this one was sickeningly familiar.

"Mom, stop it." He said suddenly, putting all his focus on the Ki level outside the doorway.

"Trunks! Don't you dare talk to your mother like that! What's gotten into you?" she demanded.

He ignored her, instead walking toward the balcony. _No, please don't let it be her. _He pleaded, a sense of dread coming over him as he imagined her reaction to his mother's words.

He stepped outside, stopping in shock once he actually saw her.

"Kess?" he asked tentatively.

She didn't even seem to hear him. She sat on the railway, leaning up against the wall, staring ahead of her with a hatred in her eyes that astounded him. Small rivulets of blood trickled down her arm between her fingers, but she didn't seem to feel it. He stood frozen for a moment, and had finally gotten his mind together enough to decide to at least stop her from digging into herself like that, when she stood suddenly, pushing off from the railing, and took off into the sky. He hesitated, unsure whether it would be better to let her cool off on her own, before flying off after her.

He kept a safe distance behind her, though, certain that trying to catch her wouldn't improve her mood any. After about ten minutes, she stopped and began to drift down. He hoped that meant she was starting to calm down.

He was wrong.

* * *

**Kess' POV**

* * *

I closed my eyes and let myself fall, using only enough energy to keep me from dropping hard to the earth below. Burning out my energy like that wasn't a good idea. Besides, it was taking too long. I was still pissed.

So I thought of a better way to burn out my energy.

I smirked and opened my eyes, thinking of the perfect blast to do the job. I stretched my arms out in front of me, forearms and wrists touching, with my fingers splayed in opposite directions. I wasn't a serious fighter, unfortunately. That had always been _Kain's_ job. My eyes narrowed at the thought. But this technique was _mine,_ one Kain had never been able to learn. And he never would, not if I had anything to say about it.

I focused on bringing my Ki out in my hands, forming it into three separate crystal-blue orbs, one in each palm and another where my wrists joined together. I took another moment to ensure that I had control of them, then, grinning savagely, released my attack on the peaceful valley below me.

Three beams of shining blue burst from my hands, one a straight shot and the other two, that began life in the palms of my hands, swirling around the first, a spiraling shot down to the earth below. It was a beautiful sight, and deadly accurate. What's more, if one part hit its target, the entire thing hit. The beams struck the valley, blowing away that lush grass that seemed to mock me with its perfection. One after the other they hit, dust clouds billowing up from the impact.

I let my arms drop to my sides and drifted down to land beside the crater I'd created. With as little power as I had, compared to the actual fighters on this planet, I hadn't done enough damage to cause any concern over the well-being of the planet, or to draw much attention from people in nearby cities. I'd blasted away an area about 50 feet in diameter, and deep enough for water to start trickling into the bottom from some underground spring. It was enough to drain away my anger, at least. I felt fine now.

I sighed when I heard the sound of a person landing behind me. I'd known Trunks was following me, for whatever reason, and I really wasn't in the mood to hear what he thought about me taking out my anger on his planet.

Surprisingly, though, he didn't say anything at first. He just stepped up beside me and stood, looking down at the crater with some unreadable expression on his face.

I looked sourly up at him. "Why are you always coming after me?"

He shrugged. "Someone has to."

"I can take care of myself."

"But you shouldn't have to." He looked down at my arm. "You need to clean that up."

I frowned. "Clean what up?"

I brought my arm up in front of my face to see what he was talking about. A thin layer of blood was smeared over my right forearm, originating from five small half-moon shapes cut into my skin.

I blinked. _Did I really do that?_

He sighed and took hold of my wrist, pulling me along behind him as I continued to stare at my arm. He led me down the slight slope of the crater I'd created, sliding to a stop at the small pool forming at the bottom.

"Let me see." He said, pulling me down to crouch beside him at the water's edge. He dipped his hand into the water, bringing it up and letting it trickle down my arm, washing away the reddish tinge on my skin.

We sat in silence for a few moments, my wrist still in his hand, just watching the water drip in bloody rivulets off my arm.

"I'm sorry." He said at last, pouring another handful of water over my skin. "About earlier."

"Why? You didn't say anything."

"I shouldn't have listened to it."

I shrugged. "Whatever. The easiest way to find out what people really think about you is to hear what they say behind your back, anyway. I'd just prefer if someone would call me a bitch to my face, that's all."

He smirked slightly. "Don't believe in sugar-coating things, do you?"

"No. Whenever I think Kain's being a stupid jackass, I'm not afraid to say it right to his face. Multiple times a day, if necessary."

"Yea, I gathered that." He said, releasing my arm and letting me tend to myself.

"So.." I began hesitantly, "what do you think about this whole school idea?"

He stared at me. "You're actually considering it?"

"Not necessarily. It's more like…we haven't actually lived any one set place for a while, so I'm not sure what I would do with myself. If it's not too unbearable, it could give me a whole new set of rules to break. New people to fight with. And by fighting, I'd be breaking the rules, accomplishing two goals at one time."

"Hn." He looked out thoughtfully for a moment. "I never thought about it like that. It might be kinda fun having you around. If you can handle the girls."

"What, are they bitches? Sluts? Combination of both?"

"No, not that. They just talk a lot. About other people."

"Oh, gossiping bitch-sluts. I can handle that."

He suddenly burst out laughing, falling back against the dirt wall of the crater.

"The hell's the matter with you?" I asked, a bit perturbed by his reaction.

"I'm sorry, it's just-" he shook his head, still grinning. "I'm not used to the way you talk yet."

"What, gossiping bitch-sluts? People don't say that around here?"

"Not really, no."

"Perfect! Now I know my words have shock value! I can use this!"

"But, you haven't thought about the most important thing yet."

"What?"

"If the only reason you go to school is to break the rules and cause trouble, it's probably going to start a lot of fights between you and your brother. And probably my mother and Chi-Chi will be on his side."

"…..damnit."

"Yeah."

We sat in silence for a moment before my eyes lit up.

"I've got it!" I exclaimed. "I'm going to be bitched at to go anyway, right? So if I go and cause as much trouble as possible, I'll be expelled! And my record will suck so much that no other school on this planet will take me! So then I won't have to hear about it anymore!"

"But how does that solve the problem of people fighting with you?"

"It doesn't, but I, unlike you and your pathetic friends, am not rendered speechless with terror when a woman gets mad and starts screeching at me."

"…."

"Well, you have to admit, it's kinda sad. There's no reason to be scared when someone's mad at you. Especially when you can just fly away. Or just sit on the roof."

"It's not that I'm scared, necessarily. But I used to try that, escaping out the window, when I was younger. And then she goes and yells at my dad until he comes and gets me."

"Ah. Luckily I don't have that problem. Unless…" I glared suspiciously at him. "What if she yells at you and tells you to come get me?"

"…."

"You're kidding!" I jumped up, balling my hands into fists at my sides. "You're telling me that if mommy tells you to, you'd honestly find me and drag me back to my room! I'll fight you!"

"I won't drag you back kicking and screaming, if that's what you're asking. Unless you do something stupid like getting drunk in a bar in one of the worst parts of town!" he snapped.

I closed my mouth tightly, not wanting to get in another argument about why it was none of his business. If he wanted to be all self-righteous about this, let him. I turned and stalked up the hill towards the welcoming wood line.

"Where are you going?" he called after me.

I didn't say anything, but ran faster up to the edge of the crater, pushing off once I hit solid ground and taking off into the sky once more.

* * *

**I know, it's been major long since I updated this. I had a hard case of writer's block with how to continue this story specifically, so I've been working on a new Mirai Trunks fic since I quit this. And also, I got really pissed yesterday, and was in the mood to write this story again! Yay! **

**Reviews are always good, and I respond to all of them. (hint, much?)**

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

I flew hard for only a short time before relaxing into a more leisurely pace. I wasn't really that angry at what Trunks had said, I just couldn't understand him. Trunks had no legitimate reason to fear his mother; she was only a common Earth woman who could scold at ridiculously loud decibels. But there was no way she could physically hurt him, so why was he so cowed by the thought of displeasing her? Even Goku, the strongest on this planet, feared the wrath of his wife. But all they did was yell. Nothing actually happened. So what was there to be scared of?

I sighed. _Maybe it comes from being a goody-goody. You need for people to like you to know you're doing the right thing._

I stopped, hovering above the tree-tops. This area seemed familiar to me.

The realization hit me like a small shock, actually bringing a small smile to my face. Of course! This was where we landed when we first came here. I was amazed I hadn't thought to go get any of my stuff off the ship. Hopefully I'd be able to get it, considering I had to break a window to get out last time. There wasn't technically anything I needed from my room, but it'd still give me something to do.

I scanned the sea of green below me until I saw a large, irregularly-shaped clearing ahead of me and to the left. That must be it. I dashed forward until I saw the telltale glinting of the silver exterior of our nameless ship. Strangely careless of Kain to leave it without any cover. If something flew overhead, it was painfully conspicuous. I was faintly amazed no bothersome Earthling scientist had discovered and seized it, to haul away and dissect in his little laboratory. Thankful, but amazed nonetheless.

I touched down lightly in the clearing, hopping forward to check on the lock on the main hatch. Damn. When I hit the access button, the small light above it blinked an obstinate red.

_The one time he remembers to lock the damn door._

I stood back, hands on my hips, and surveyed the ship with a displeased "hmph". Technically I could break another window, but I'd have to find a tree branch high enough to reach the window, and sturdy to support me while I bashed it in. They were a lot harder to break from the outside than in, though I couldn't explain the structural reason for it. Still, I wanted in, and I sure as hell wasn't going to ask Kain for the access key to the main hatch.

I walked almost half-way around the ship before I saw a satisfactory branch and hauled myself up with ease. I crawled out to the end, waiting for the branch under me to quit its precarious shaking at my movement. After a moment of consideration, I reached out and formed a small ball of Ki between my palms-

"What're you doing?"

I shrieked and felt my whole body jump, shattering my sense of balance and sending my body tumbling off the branch. I clenched my teeth together to prevent another involuntary yelp as my hip and ribs collided painfully with the ground. Bones meet earth, not a pleasant experience. I waited a moment to let the jolt fade throughout the rest of my body, then sat and glared up at the damnable Saiyan crouching childlike on my branch.

"Why the hell are you always following me?!" I snapped. "Frickin' stalker!"

He ignored me and looked with interest at the window.

"What were you doing?"

"I was trying to break the damn thing before you so rudely interrupted me!"

"Why?"

"So I could get inside, dumbass, why else?"

"Hm." He reached out and lightly touched the thick transparesteel that constituted the slightly bubbled window of the ship. "How were you going to break this?"

I started to stand and show him exactly how, but my hip protested painfully to any movement of my right leg. I immediately sat down again, frowning and pushing the top of my pants down past my hip. I could tell by the slight darkening of the area directly on top of the bone that I'd have a hell of a bruise tomorrow. Probably the same story on my rib, but I could check that out later.

Trunks looked down with some confusion at my actions.

"You hurt?"

"Yes, thanks to you and your stalker tendencies. Break the window for me."

"What?" he asked dumbly.

"Break the window." I repeated.

He opened his mouth to say something, closed it again when nothing came out, and looked again at the window. I could almost see the gears turning in his head, trying to come up with some reason why he couldn't just break a window because I ordered him to.

"Is this your ship or Kain's?" he asked at last.

"Half and half."

I could see what I called the mental damnit on his face, and was somewhat satisfied that I'd thwarted his plans to get around this.

He sighed, defeated. "Fine. Is there any way to do it without sending shards everywhere? Or is that part of the plan?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, silly Saiyan boy, you only destroy things trying to get _out_, to show your fury at being confined in the first place."

"Oh, of course. How could I forget?" he said sarcastically.

"You should be ashamed of yourself. To get _in_ without causing mayhem and destruction, just send an energy pulse through the window strong enough to weaken the structure, and hit it with your palm flat in the center."

He stared at me a moment.

I sighed and once again formed a small ball of Ki in my hand, the same size I'd had before, and let it float up to bob in front of his face.

"Like that. Use that."

He reached out tentatively and poked the blast, as if to make sure it wouldn't blow up in his face, before placing his hand behind it and guiding it toward the window.

"Good, now push it in at the center."

He gave me a doubtful look, but said nothing and pressed his hand against the window, trapping the energy between his palm and the plastic substance. It held resolutely for a moment, then slowly dissipated into the window, creating a slight glow spreading from the center outward.

"Now I hit it?"

"Yeah, but make sure your hand's flat. Like this." I curled my fingers in toward my palm and tapped the "heel" of my hand, the most solid part. "Hit in the center with this part of your hand. If you use a fist you're more likely to go through the glass than make it shatter by itself."

He molded his hand to mirror mine and delivered a quick, blunt blow to the center of the window, where the glow was darkest. Small cracks branched out from under his palm, and for a moment nothing happened. Then the window simply fell away into the ship, breaking up into tiny crumbles of clear plastic and raining like gravel into a neat pile on the floor.

He leaned over and peered with interest through the now open hold in the wall.

"That's pretty cool."

"I know, I was there." I replied, gritting my teeth and standing upright, doing my best to ignore my bruise's protest at being stretched in such a manner. I jumped up and grabbed onto the branch, slowly swinging my right leg over and crawling towards the demi-Saiyan at the edge.

"Either get in or get out of the way."

He shrugged and carefully maneuvered his legs into the opening, sliding through and landing in a crouch on the floor. I followed him in much the same manner, careful to avoid the pile of broken window below the opening. I wasn't planning on having two unpleasant experiences in one day.

Trunks was already making his way down the corridor, running his hand along the wall as he walked.

"I don't think we have this material on Earth. What's it called?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know. Why don't you go inspect the main thrusters or something while I grab some stuff?"

"Can I? Where are they?"

"….you really want to go look at the engine?" I asked. I hadn't been serious, but if it would get him out of the way….I pointed.

"Follow the curve to the right, and it's behind the double-doors at the end of the hall."

I watched him walk eagerly down the hallway, wondering how he could possibly be so interested in technical stuff like this. _Must be his mother's genes or something. Or maybe growing up in a major technology corporation just rubs off on you_. Whatever, as if I cared.

I went the opposite direction to my room, unlocking the door and stepping inside. Finally. I'd missed my familiar surroundings, the set-up that I'd worked on meticulously and all on my own, arranging everything just like I wanted it. But there wasn't much time to reminisce. Even something as complex as the ship's engine room couldn't keep the Saiyan occupied forever.

I rooted around in my closet for a minute before emerging with a small black backpack. I looked around, absently stuffing a few things from the pile of clothes on the floor, considering if there was anything important I wanted to take with me. I briefly considered the photo album tucked away behind my bed, but I didn't really have anything I wanted to remember. I never looked at it, anyway. Just let it sit there. After another moment of consideration, I shrugged and reached up, feeling along the back shelf in the closet. My hand encountered the cool, hard surface of a glass bottle, which I brought down and shoved quickly down in my bag, burying it safely between layers of clothes. Since I couldn't trust that I could sneak off to bars on this planet whenever I wanted, I might as well bring some of my stash with me. Just in case.

I heard the sound of footsteps echoing in the hallway, and supposed Trunks was done with his nerdic duties aboard the ship. I was therefore surprised to step out and see none other than Kain, followed by a certain blue-haired mother I was _so _looking forward to seeing again.

We all stood frozen for a moment, staring in shock at each other.

"W-what are you doing here?" Kain sputtered.

"It's my ship, too! What's _she _doing here?" I demanded, pointing an accusing finger at Bulma. She stepped forward, hands on her hips.

"I thought it would be a good idea to take this thing to Capsul Corp before anyone else saw it. If word got out that there were aliens running around, people would freak out."

I crossed my arms, leaning back to hit the close button for my door.

"That's only because you Earthlings are a bunch of backwater people. Most other places we've been you just land where you want, nobody cares."

"Kess, don't start this." Kain said wearily, raising a hand to his forehead.

"Well, it's true!"

"Of course it is, but you don't need to say it like that."

"Hey!" Bulma stood squarely between us, glaring from me to him. "What do you mean, calling us backwater people?"

Kain glanced guiltily at her. "Well, you don't have any trade routes, connections or communication with other planets. And you're terrified of aliens, so…"

"What he means is yes, you're backwater hicks." I interjected.

She opened her mouth and took a deep breath, preparing to continue the argument, when another voice interrupted her.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

The perplexed Saiyan stood at the curve, surveying the scene before him.

"We're taking the ship home with us. Come outside and help me load this." She said shortly, turning and striding off toward the exit. Trunks slowly followed her, pausing as he passed me.

"I guess this means I didn't need to break in after all."

I shrugged. "You learned a useful skill, didn't you?"

He surprised me with an answering smirk before heading down the hall.

* * *

**I know it's a bit short and uneventful, but I'm going on a last-minute beach trip tomorrow 'til the end of the week, and I'm doing Relay for Life when I get back. So I thought it'd be better to do something than nothing. I hope to post my next Inner Demons chapter this weekend, if any of you are reading that also. And my profile now has pictures of all my OCs, and a bunch of random shit, so feel free to check it out if you're bored.**

**And just in case someone thinks I'm a dumbass, I realize nerdic isn't a real word. It's just part of the Kestrel vocabulary. Kind of like mental damnit. which is awesome, by the way.**


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